


This Silver Won't Tarnish

by ChibiYoda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Arc Reactor Appreciation, Bruce's Glasses Appreciation, Fluff, M/M, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, This Is My Ship and It Has Wrecked Me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-09 08:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3242771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiYoda/pseuds/ChibiYoda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Silver had become a very important color in Bruce and Tony’s lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Silver Won't Tarnish

Silver had become a very important color in Bruce and Tony's lives.

It wasn't a conscious decision to favor it. Neither was even aware that the color had crept into their minds, and settled itself among warm and fuzzy feelings. The ones that gave them comfort, and made them smile.

 

Silver was the color of the frames of Bruce’s glasses. One of the very first things about Bruce that endeared him to Tony was the way the physicist would fuss with them. Be it their tendency to slide down his nose, or the way he’d absently clean them with his shirttail. There was his habit of folding them up, and using them like pointer, as he worked his way across a dry erase board filled with concepts and equations that spilled from his mind.

And every once in a while, Tony would be standing close enough, and at just the right angle, to see himself reflected on the lenses as they sat perched on Bruce’s face. It shocked him at first, this image of himself staring back. He looked different, somehow, from the way he’d seen himself in his own mirror. It would dawn on him eventually. Tony had never seen himself in love before.

 

Silver was the color of the casing of the arc reactor. A wonderment of science and technology, that Tony had created. A layperson with an interest in science could, at the very least, appreciate the device. But for someone like Bruce, who lived and breathed science, the scope of this achievement was astonishing. He'd listened with rapt attention as Tony chronicled its development. Bruce’s mind worked comparably to Tony’s. And each time his enthusiasm got the better of him, and he blurted out the ending to Tony’s train of thought, Tony became the one who was astounded.

Even for the technological marvel that the arc reactor was, Bruce gradually began to see it in a different light. The ever present pale blue glow filtered out from beneath Tony’s shirt as he worked or played or enjoyed a few rare moments of peace and quiet. Without it, Tony wouldn't exist. He wouldn't be here to gift the world with more life-changing inventions. Wouldn't be here to change Bruce’s life for the better every day. He wouldn't have been here to give Bruce a chance at having a life again in the first place. The little silver circle of light became just as important to Bruce as it was to Tony.

 

There was a touch of silver at Tony’s temples. Silver was peppered throughout Bruce’s mane. Some people refer to it as grey. But grey implies something lifeless and dull. Those words don’t describe these two. They are spirited and dynamic. When they're together, the air around them is electrified. One can almost see the tiny silver sparks that vibrate between them.

 

There was quite a bit of silver in the beautiful lab that Tony had built for Bruce. Shining stainless steel surfaces, chrome trim and stools, and of course, the gleaming silver instruments. This was the backdrop to their relationship in its infancy. And it wasn't long before those walls could no longer contain it. But the lab remained their playground, and they were a team. Each secretly pleased by the fact that none of the tower’s other houseguests were interested in playing with these particular toys. They took risks, built on each other’s ideas, and never ceased to be in awe of one another’s brilliance. So there, in their private little world, satisfying hours passed.

 

When they dined out, it wasn't always at fancy restaurants. But they did happen to be at one of those establishments the night Tony proposed. The table had been resplendent in silver. From the cutlery and candlesticks, to the napkin rings and the pattern on the tableware.

Tony didn't mean to ask. He was planning to ask, just not on that particular evening. But as he sat across from Bruce, listening to his enthusiastic description of his next revolutionary idea, it struck Tony. He needed to ensure that he’d continue to be the person that Bruce was excited to relay all of his brilliant thoughts to. Tony had become too caught up in the moment. In Bruce. And as he watched Bruce twirl a piece of silverware as he spoke, the words...the most important question of Tony’s life, simply tumbled from his mouth involuntarily.

It turned out better than anything he could have envisioned.

 

And forgoing the more traditional gold, they were drawn to platinum bands as the symbols they’d wear forever.

 

They had become each other’s silver lining. Their respective rewards for turning their lives around and making up for past transgressions. Be those sins real or perceived, intentional or accidental. Could they have found redemption apart from each other? Yes. Would it have reached this level of fulfillment for either? Never. Their bond is far too unique. Scientifically, what they achieve together eclipses even the amazing accomplishments they are capable of on their own. And on a personal level, no one else would ever be able to fill the gaps in their souls the way they do for one another.

 

They remain oblivious to the phenomenon. But whether they notice or not would never change the fact that silver had been destined to be the accent color to their lives.


End file.
